An Australian man who has wisely declined to give his name has unearthed a gold nugget worth nearly £60,000 just using a metal detector.Matt Cook, the owner of a metal detector shop in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, spoke to the BBC about the amazing find."He walked into my shop and showed me the nugget in his hand with a big smile on my face," he said."It just a bit bigger than a packet of smokes, and the density of it was incredible, so heavy.”

SHOP: Mr Cook sells specialist gold equipment (Image: Google Maps)

Mr Cook said the man detected the piece on some saltbush flats, about 18 inches below the surface.Finds of this size happen a handful of times every year, but they are rarely turned up by hobbyists with a solitary detector. Smaller finds are more common and Kalgoorlie produces about 75% of the gold mined in Australia.Mr Cook’s shop sells specialised gold detectors priced from about $1,000AU (about £550) up to just under $10,000AU.He told the West Australian: “It’s good to see people out there and finding nuggets like this,” “They’re harder to find but they’re still out there.”“It’s so busy — I can’t remember a year like it,” he said.“And gold prices are high at the moment — it’s like a gold rush.”

INVESTMENT: A gold detector will set you back about £550 (Image: Finders Keepers)